CN110945997A

CN110945997A - Automatic lawn mower and its operation control method, device and electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN110945997A
Application number: CN201811132158.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵凤丽; 查霞红; 焦石平
Original assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-27
Filing date: 2018-09-27
Publication date: 2020-04-03
Also published as: EP3858128A4; US20210345545A1; EP4449846A2; EP3858128A1; EP4449846A3; WO2020063822A1; CN119256746A; EP3858128B1; DE202019006116U1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an operation control method for an automatic lawn mower, wherein the automatic lawn mower includes a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit for trimming, wherein the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends to at least be flush with the housing of the automatic lawn mower, and the method includes: detecting a specific object in a normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; determining whether the specific object is detected; switching to an obstacle working mode based at least on the detection of the specific object; and maintaining the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based at least on the failure to detect the specific object.

Description

Automatic mower, operation control method and device thereof, and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic lawn mower, and more particularly, to an operation control method and an operation control device for an automatic lawn mower, and an automatic lawn mower and an electronic apparatus including the operation control device.

Background

The automatic mower can automatically complete tasks such as lawn maintenance and the like, and is gradually popular with consumers. When the automatic mower works, the automatic mower is limited to move in a working area enclosed by the boundary. In the existing automatic mower, one or more cutterheads are arranged at the bottom of a machine body, metal blades are mounted on the cutterheads, and the cutterheads rotate to form a cutting area. Because the blades on the mower deck rotate at a high speed and may cause injury to people, a high level of protection is required, resulting in a large blade protection distance and failure to cut grass near the boundary, i.e., complete trimming.

Therefore, the existing automatic mower has the technical problems that: how to achieve full trimming of the border while ensuring the safety of the mower.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, one problem to be solved by the present invention is to achieve a complete trimming of the border while ensuring the safety of the mower.

The technical scheme adopted by the invention for solving the problems in the prior art is as follows:

a method of controlling operation of an robotic lawnmower including a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit having a cutting range extending at least to be flush with a housing of the robotic lawnmower, the method comprising: detecting a specific object in a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; determining whether a specific object is detected; switching to an obstacle operating mode based at least on detecting the specific object; and maintaining a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based at least on the specific object not being detected.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, determining whether the specific object is detected includes: determining whether the detection object is a living body; and determining that the specific object is detected in response to the detection object being a living body.

In the above-described operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, determining whether the specific object is detected further comprises: detecting a distance between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; switching to the barrier operating mode based at least on detecting the particular object comprises: and responding to the fact that the distance is smaller than a preset distance threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, determining whether the specific object is detected includes: detecting a relative speed between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and switching to the barrier operating mode based at least on detecting the particular object comprises: and responding to the fact that the relative speed is larger than a preset speed threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, in the obstacle operating mode, the robotic lawnmower executes at least one of: changing the working state of the auxiliary cutting unit; changing the moving mode of the automatic mower; and (6) warning.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, further comprising: detecting a specific object in the barrier working mode; determining whether a specific object is detected; maintaining the barrier mode of operation based at least on detecting the particular object; and resuming a normal operating mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based at least on the specific object not being detected.

In the above-described operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of: infrared induction, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, further comprising: detecting the ambient temperature of the automatic mower; and, in response to the ambient temperature being within a preset temperature range, allowing operation of the auxiliary cutting unit.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, further comprising: detecting the ambient light intensity of the automatic mower; and controlling the auxiliary cutting unit to enter a normal working mode in response to the ambient light intensity being less than a light intensity threshold value.

An operation control device of an robotic lawnmower including a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit having a cutting range extending at least to be flush with a housing of the robotic lawnmower, the device comprising: a detection unit for detecting a specific object in a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; a determination unit configured to determine whether a specific object is detected; a switching unit configured to switch to an obstacle operating mode based on at least detection of the specific object; and a holding unit for holding a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based on at least that the specific object is not detected.

In the above operation control device of an automatic lawnmower, the determination unit is configured to: determining whether the detection object is a living body; and determining that the specific object is detected in response to the detection object being a living body.

In the operation control device of an automatic mower described above, the determination unit is further configured to detect a distance between the living body and the automatic mower; and the switching unit is further used for responding to the fact that the distance is smaller than a preset distance threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

In the operation control device of an automatic lawn mower described above, the determination unit is further configured to detect a relative speed between the living body and the automatic lawn mower; and the switching unit is further used for responding to the relative speed being larger than a preset speed threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

In the above operation control device of the robotic lawnmower, in the obstacle operating mode, the robotic lawnmower executes at least one of: changing the working state of the auxiliary cutting unit; changing the moving mode of the automatic mower; and (6) warning.

In the above operation control method of the robotic lawnmower, the detection unit is further configured to perform detection of a specific object in the obstacle operation mode; the determination unit is further configured to determine whether a specific object is detected; the holding unit is further configured to hold the barrier operating mode based on at least the detection of the specific object; and the switching unit is further used for recovering the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit at least based on that the specific object is not detected.

In the above-described operation control device for an automatic lawnmower, the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of: infrared induction, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

In the operation control device of an automatic mower described above, the detection unit is further configured to detect an ambient temperature of the automatic mower; and the holding unit is further used for responding to the environment temperature being within a preset temperature range and allowing the auxiliary cutting unit to work.

In the operation control device of an automatic mower described above, the detection unit is further configured to detect an ambient illuminance of the automatic mower; and the switching unit is further used for responding to the ambient light intensity smaller than the light intensity threshold value and controlling the auxiliary cutting unit to enter a normal working mode.

An automatic lawnmower comprising: a housing; a main cutting unit; an auxiliary cutting unit having a cutting range extending at least to be flush with a housing of the robotic lawnmower; and an operation control device as described above for controlling the normal operation mode or the obstacle operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit.

An electronic device, comprising: a memory for storing computer executable instructions; and a processor for executing the computer-executable instructions stored by the memory to perform the method of controlling the operation of the robotic lawnmower as described above.

A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions operable, when executed by a computing device, to perform the method of operation control of an robotic lawnmower as described above.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: by controlling the operation of the automatic lawn mower provided with the auxiliary cutting unit by whether or not a specific object is detected, it is possible to achieve complete trimming of the boundary while ensuring the safety of the lawn mower.

Drawings

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of an automatic working system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of an automatic lawn mower according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a first arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a second arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a third arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of the method of controlling the operation of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a sensor arrangement of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an operation control device of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, example embodiments according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments of the present application, and that the present application is not limited by the example embodiments described herein.

Overview of automatic lawn mower

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic working system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the automatic working system 100 includes an automatic lawnmower 1. In addition, the automatic working system 100 further includes a charging station 2 for supplying electric power to the automatic lawnmower 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the robotic lawnmower 1 is configured to operate within a predetermined work area.

The structure of the robotic lawnmower 1 in this embodiment is shown in fig. 2. The automatic mower 1 comprises a shell 3, a moving module, a task execution module, an energy module, a control module and the like. Wherein, the moving module comprises a wheel set 5 which is driven by a driving motor to drive the automatic mower 1 to move. The task performance module includes a cutting assembly 7 that performs mowing work. The energy module includes a battery pack (not shown) to provide electrical energy for movement and operation of the robotic lawnmower 1. The control module is electrically connected with the moving module, the task execution module and the energy module, controls the moving module to drive the automatic mower 1 to move, and controls the task execution module to execute a work task.

Exemplary operation control method

For the purpose of edging, the robotic lawnmower of the present invention further comprises an auxiliary cutting unit for edging, in addition to the main cutting unit in the cutting assembly 7 as shown in fig. 2. And, in order to completely edging the border, the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends at least to be flush with the housing of the robotic lawnmower, for example, the housing 3 as shown in fig. 2.

In one example, the auxiliary cutting unit of the automatic mower of the present invention may be a grass cutting head including a reel, a grass cutting rope wound around the reel, and a driving motor for driving the reel to rotate. The cutting elements of the auxiliary cutting unit may be of a flexible material, such as a grass rope, or of a metal material that is not an opening edge. And, the cutting energy of the auxiliary cutting unit is preferably less than 2 joules. In other embodiments, the auxiliary cutting unit may also be pruning shears or the like.

When the auxiliary cutting unit is actually provided, since the auxiliary cutting unit is used for trimming, it is generally provided at an edge position of the housing, and its positional relationship with respect to the main cutting unit may have a plurality of examples.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a first arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the main cutting unit 7 is disposed in the center of the robotic lawnmower, and the auxiliary cutting unit 17 is disposed at the side of the center of the robotic lawnmower. When cutting is performed, the auxiliary cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit 17 is tangent to or overlaps the main cutting area of the main cutting unit 7 in the width direction of the robotic lawnmower (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the robotic lawnmower) to prevent missed cuts. In this embodiment, the universal wheel 19 is provided at the front side of the robotic lawnmower, and the gap between the cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit 17 and the movement area of the universal wheel 19 is greater than 5mm in order not to hinder the operation of the auxiliary cutting unit.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a second arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, in this example, the auxiliary cutting unit 17 is arranged on the same side of the front end of the robotic lawnmower as the main cutting unit 7, and likewise, when cutting, the auxiliary cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit is tangent to or overlaps the main cutting area of the main cutting unit in the width direction of the robotic lawnmower (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the robotic lawnmower), and the gap between the cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit 17 and the movement area of the universal wheel 19 of the robotic lawnmower is greater than 5 mm.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a third arrangement example of the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, in this example, the auxiliary cutting unit 17 is arranged at the front end of the robotic lawnmower on the opposite side of the main cutting unit 7, and when cutting, the robotic lawnmower moves clockwise along the boundary of the working area to form a first movement path, and moves counterclockwise along the boundary of the working area to form a second movement path, and the auxiliary cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit when the robotic lawnmower moves along the first movement path is tangent to or overlaps the main cutting area of the main cutting unit when the robotic lawnmower moves along the second movement path in the width direction of the robotic lawnmower. And the clearance between the cutting area of the auxiliary cutting unit 17 and the movement area of the universal wheel 19 of the automatic mower is more than 5 mm.

As described above, in the automatic lawnmower of the present invention, although the auxiliary cutting unit is employed for edging, the cutting energy of the auxiliary cutting unit is preferably limited to avoid injury to other objects, or human bodies. However, these injuries are still not completely avoided, especially for human bodies, and it is desirable to avoid the auxiliary cutting unit from touching the human body as completely as possible. In addition, if the auxiliary cutting unit hits other hard objects while cutting, damage may be caused to the auxiliary cutting unit itself.

Based on this, the invention further proposes an operation control method for the above-mentioned robotic lawnmower provided with the auxiliary cutting unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of the method of controlling the operation of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention. Here, as described above, the robotic lawnmower includes a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit for trimming, and the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends at least to be flush with or beyond the housing of the robotic lawnmower.

As shown in fig. 6, the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower includes: s510, detecting a specific object in a normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; s520, judging whether a specific object is detected or not; s530, switching to an obstacle working mode at least based on the detection of the specific object; and S540, keeping the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit at least based on that the specific object is not detected.

In step S510, detection of a specific object is performed in a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit.

Here, the normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit refers to an operation mode in which the auxiliary cutting unit normally performs a trimming operation. Also, since the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends at least to be flush with the housing of the robotic lawnmower when performing the edging operation, it is necessary to detect a specific object so as not to be damaged by the auxiliary cutting unit or by the specific object.

In the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, the specific object may be a living body, such as a human being, an animal, or the like, or another object that is moving and may affect the work of the robotic lawnmower, for example, an object whose moving speed is greater than some predetermined threshold value. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the term "living body" in the embodiments of the present invention may refer not only to living objects, but also to other moving objects to distinguish from fixed obstacles or the like within the working environment of the robotic lawnmower.

In step S520, it is determined whether a specific object is detected. Specifically, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present application, determining whether the specific object is detected includes: determining whether the detection object is a living body; and determining that the specific object is detected in response to the detection object being a living body.

In addition, the distance between the living body and the automatic mower can be further determined based on the object being the living body, so as to further determine whether the living body can influence the automatic mower to reduce the misoperation rate of the automatic mower.

That is, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present application, determining whether the specific object is detected further includes: detecting a distance between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and switching to the barrier operating mode based at least on detecting the particular object comprises: and responding to the fact that the distance is smaller than a preset distance threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

Further, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present application, the determining whether the specific object is detected includes: detecting a relative speed between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and switching to the barrier operating mode based at least on detecting the particular object comprises: and responding to the fact that the relative speed is larger than a preset speed threshold value, and switching the normal working mode into an obstacle working mode.

In step S530, switching to the obstacle operating mode is performed based on at least the detection of the specific object.

That is, after detecting a specific object that may affect the cutting work of the robotic lawnmower, the operating mode of the auxiliary cutting unit needs to be changed for safety of the use of the robotic lawnmower. In the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, in the obstacle operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit, the robotic lawnmower performs at least one of: changing the working state of the auxiliary cutting unit; changing the moving mode of the automatic mower; and (6) warning.

Specifically, the robotic lawnmower may stop the operation of the auxiliary cutting unit, reduce the cutting speed of the auxiliary cutting unit, or weaken the cutting energy of the auxiliary cutting unit in order to avoid damage to the specific object or damage to the auxiliary cutting unit by the specific object. In addition, the automatic mower can adopt moving modes such as steering and avoiding, so that the damage is avoided. In addition, the automatic mower can adopt a warning mode to prompt a user of the occurrence of an unexpected situation, such as sending a warning signal on the machine or sending warning information to a mobile phone of the user.

In step S540, the normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit is maintained at least based on the specific object not being detected. That is, in the case where the specific object is not detected, there is no possibility that the main cutting unit causes damage to or is damaged by an external object, and thus the operating state of the auxiliary cutting unit can be continuously maintained.

Further, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, further comprising: detecting a specific object in the barrier working mode; determining whether a specific object is detected; maintaining the barrier mode of operation based at least on detecting the particular object; and resuming a normal operating mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based at least on the specific object not being detected.

That is, in the barrier operation mode, it may be continuously detected whether the specific object affecting the operation of the auxiliary cutting unit exists, if the specific object still exists, the barrier operation mode is maintained, and if the specific object does not exist, the normal operation of the auxiliary cutting unit may be resumed.

In the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of: infrared induction, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

For example, by using an infrared human body sensing technology, whether a person approaches the automatic mower can be identified by an infrared sensor, so that the auxiliary cutting unit is switched from a normal working mode to an obstacle working mode within a certain range of the person from the machine.

For another example, using image recognition technology, it may be recognized whether a person or a part of a human body is close to the robotic lawnmower, and when the person or the part of the human body is within a certain range from the robotic lawnmower, the auxiliary cutting unit is switched from the normal operation mode to the obstacle operation mode.

According to another example, the auxiliary cutting unit may be switched from the normal operation mode to the obstacle operation mode when the moving object (including a person or an object) is at a certain distance and a certain approaching speed by recognizing the distance and the approaching speed of the moving object from the device using the ultrasonic/radar ranging technology.

According to yet another example, the surrounding environment may be three-dimensionally imaged using depth imaging techniques (TOF or other techniques), the human body or a part of the human body is identified, and the auxiliary cutting unit is switched from the normal operation mode to the obstacle operation mode when it is identified that the human body or the part of the human body is close to the machine, within a certain range of the human body or the part of the human body from the machine.

Of course, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiments of the present invention can also utilize two or more of the above technologies in combination to control the operating state of the robotic lawnmower by identifying the proximity between a person or a moving object and the robotic lawnmower, including, for example, the proximity distance and the proximity speed.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a sensor arrangement of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention. As shown in fig. 7, two or more sensors 21 (e.g., the above-described sensors for infrared sensing, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, depth imaging) may be provided on the side of the robotic lawnmower where the auxiliary cutting unit is located. In addition, as shown in fig. 8, by providing a sensor with more than two channels, the sensor can be ensured not to miss measurement.

In addition, the automatic mower can be provided with a temperature sensor, so that when the environment temperature is detected to be close to the temperature of the human body, the working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit is switched to prevent misjudgment.

Moreover, the robotic lawnmower may be provided with an illumination sensor, so that when the illumination is smaller than a set value, the auxiliary cutting unit of the robotic lawnmower is started to work normally, for example, the normal working mode is started at night, so as to prevent the illumination from affecting the detection accuracy of other sensors, such as an infrared sensor.

Therefore, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, further comprising: detecting the ambient temperature of the automatic mower; and, in response to the ambient temperature being within a preset temperature range, allowing operation of the auxiliary cutting unit.

Also, in the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower according to the embodiment of the present invention, further comprising: detecting the ambient light intensity of the automatic mower; and controlling the auxiliary cutting unit to enter a normal working mode in response to the ambient light intensity being less than a light intensity threshold value.

Schematic operation control device and automatic mower

Here, the operation control device 600 as shown in fig. 8 is applied to the robotic lawnmower having the main cutting unit and the auxiliary cutting unit for trimming as described above, and the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends at least to be flush with the housing of the robotic lawnmower.

As shown in fig. 8, the operation control device 600 includes: a detection unit 610 for detecting a specific object in a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit; a determination unit 620 for determining whether a specific object is detected; a switching unit 630, configured to switch to an obstacle operating mode based on at least the detection of the specific object; and a holding unit 640 for holding a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based on at least that the specific object is not detected.

In one example, in the above operation control device 600 of the robotic lawnmower, the determination unit 620 is configured to: determining whether the detection object is a living body; and determining that the specific object is detected in response to the detection object being a living body.

In one example, in the operation control device 600 of the above-described robotic lawnmower, the determination unit 620 is further configured to detect a distance between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and the switching unit 630 is further configured to switch the normal operating mode to an obstacle operating mode in response to the distance being less than a preset distance threshold.

In one example, in the operation control device 600 of the above-described robotic lawnmower, the determination unit 620 is further configured to detect a relative speed between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and the switching unit 630 is further configured to switch the normal operation mode to an obstacle operation mode in response to the relative speed being greater than a preset speed threshold.

In one example, in the above-described operation control device 600 of the robotic lawnmower, in the obstacle operating mode, the robotic lawnmower performs at least one of: stopping the operation of the auxiliary cutting unit; changing the moving mode of the automatic mower.

In one example, in the above operation control method 600 of the robotic lawnmower, the detecting unit 610 is further configured to perform detection of a specific object in the obstacle operating mode; the determination unit 620 is further configured to determine whether a specific object is detected; the maintaining unit 640 is further configured to maintain the barrier operating mode based on at least the detection of the specific object; and, the switching unit 630 is further configured to resume a normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit based at least on the specific object not being detected.

In one example, in the operation control device 600 of the above-described robotic lawnmower, the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of: infrared induction, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

In one example, in the operation control device 600 of the robotic lawnmower described above, the detection unit 610 is further configured to detect an ambient temperature of the robotic lawnmower; and, the holding unit 640 is further configured to allow the operation of the auxiliary cutting unit in response to the ambient temperature being within a preset temperature range.

In one example, in the operation control device 600 of the robotic lawnmower described above, the detecting unit 610 is further configured to detect an ambient light illuminance of the robotic lawnmower; and the switching unit 630 is further configured to control the auxiliary cutting unit to enter a normal operation mode in response to the ambient light intensity being less than a light intensity threshold.

Here, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that other details of the operation control device of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention are exactly the same as those of the operation control method of the robotic lawnmower of the present invention described above, and will not be described herein again in order to avoid redundancy.

The invention further relates to an automatic mower comprising: a housing; a main cutting unit; an auxiliary cutting unit for trimming, and the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extends at least to be flush with the housing of the robotic lawnmower; and an operation control device as described above for controlling a normal operation mode or an obstacle operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: by controlling the operation of the automatic lawn mower provided with the auxiliary cutting unit for trimming by whether or not a specific object is detected, it is possible to achieve complete trimming of the boundary while ensuring the safety of the lawn mower.

Exemplary electronic device

Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention is described with reference to fig. 9. The electronic device may be an electronic device integrated in the mobile station of the robotic lawnmower or a stand-alone device separate from the mobile station that can communicate with the mobile station to implement the method for controlling the operation of the robotic lawnmower according to the invention.

As shown in fig. 9, electronic device 700 includes one or more processors 710 and memory 720.

The processor 710 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other form of processing unit having data processing capabilities and/or instruction execution capabilities, and may control other components in the electronic device 700 to perform desired functions.

Memory 720 may include one or more computer program products that may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory (cache), and/or the like. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, Read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium and executed by the processor 710 to implement the operational control methods of the robotic lawnmower of the various embodiments of the invention described above, and/or other desired functions. Various contents such as a detection result of a specific object, operation mode data, and the like may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium.

In one example, the electronic device 700 may further include: an input device 730 and an output device 740, which are interconnected by a bus system and/or other form of connection mechanism (not shown).

For example, the input device 730 may be for receiving user input.

The output device 740 may directly output various information to the outside or control the mobile station to transmit signals.

Of course, for simplicity, only some of the components of the electronic device 700 relevant to the present application are shown in fig. 9, and components such as buses, input/output interfaces, and the like are omitted. In addition, electronic device 700 may include any other suitable components depending on the particular application.

Exemplary computer program product and computer-readable storage Medium

In addition to the above-described methods and apparatus, embodiments of the present application may also be a computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the operation control method of an automated lawnmower according to various embodiments of the present invention described in the "exemplary operation control method" section of this specification above.

The computer program product may be written with program code for performing the operations of embodiments of the present application in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C + + or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present application may also be a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the operation control method of an robotic lawnmower according to various embodiments of the present invention described in the "exemplary operation control method" section above in this specification.

The computer-readable storage medium may take any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may include, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or a combination of any of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The foregoing describes the general principles of the present application in conjunction with specific embodiments, however, it is noted that the advantages, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are merely examples and are not limiting, and they should not be considered essential to the various embodiments of the present application. Furthermore, the foregoing disclosure of specific details is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be limiting, since the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise details disclosed.

The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, systems referred to in this application are only given as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the connections, arrangements, configurations, etc. must be made in the manner shown in the block diagrams. These devices, apparatuses, devices, systems may be connected, arranged, configured in any manner, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Words such as "including," "comprising," "having," and the like are open-ended words that mean "including, but not limited to," and are used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "as used herein mean, and are used interchangeably with, the word" and/or, "unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The word "such as" is used herein to mean, and is used interchangeably with, the phrase "such as but not limited to".

It should also be noted that in the devices, apparatuses, and methods of the present application, the components or steps may be decomposed and/or recombined. These decompositions and/or recombinations are to be considered as equivalents of the present application.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit embodiments of the application to the form disclosed herein. While a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. An operation control method of an automatic lawnmower, the automatic lawnmower comprising a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit, the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extending at least to the same level as the casing of the automatic lawnmower flat, the method includes:

The detection of a specific object is carried out in the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit;

Determine whether a specific object is detected;

switching to a handicap mode of operation based at least on detection of the particular object; and

The normal operating mode of the auxiliary cutting unit is maintained at least based on the fact that the specific object is not detected.

2. The operation control method of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein determining whether a specific object is detected comprises:

determine whether the test object is a living body; and

In response to the detection object being a living body, it is determined that the specific object is detected.

3. The operation control method of the automatic lawn mower according to claim 2, wherein,

Determining whether a particular object is detected further includes:

detecting the distance between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and

Switching to the obstacle working mode based on at least detecting the specific object includes:

In response to the distance being less than a preset distance threshold, the normal operating mode is switched to the obstacle operating mode.

4. The operation control method of the automatic lawn mower according to claim 2, wherein,

Determining whether a particular object is detected includes:

detecting the relative speed between the living body and the robotic lawnmower; and

The normal operating mode is switched to an obstacle operating mode in response to the relative speed being greater than a preset speed threshold.

5. The operation control method of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein, in the obstacle working mode, the automatic lawn mower performs at least one of the following:

changing the working state of the auxiliary cutting unit;

changing the way the robotic lawnmower is moved;

Warning.

6. The operation control method of the automatic lawn mower as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

performing detection of a specific object in the obstacle working mode;

Determine whether a specific object is detected;

maintaining the obstacle mode of operation based at least on detecting the particular object; and

The normal operation mode of the auxiliary cutting unit is restored based at least on the failure to detect the specific object.

7. The operation control method of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 1, wherein the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of the following: infrared sensing, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

8. The operation control method of the automatic lawn mower as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the ambient temperature of the automatic lawn mower;

In response to the ambient temperature being within a preset temperature range, operation of the auxiliary cutting unit is allowed.

9. The operation control method of the automatic lawn mower as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the ambient illuminance of the automatic lawn mower;

In response to the ambient illuminance being less than the illuminance threshold, the auxiliary cutting unit is controlled to enter a normal working mode.

10. An operation control device for an automatic lawnmower, the automatic lawnmower comprising a main cutting unit and an auxiliary cutting unit, the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extending at least to the same level as the casing of the automatic lawnmower flat, the device includes:

a detection unit for detecting a specific object in the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit;

a determination unit for determining whether a specific object is detected;

a switching unit for switching to the obstacle working mode at least based on the detection of the specific object; and

A maintaining unit for maintaining the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit at least based on the fact that the specific object is not detected.

11. The operation control device of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 10, wherein the determination unit is used to:

determine whether the test object is a living body; and

12. An operation control device for an automatic lawn mower as claimed in claim 11, wherein,

The determination unit is further configured to detect the distance between the living body and the automatic lawn mower; and

The switching unit is further configured to switch the normal working mode to an obstacle working mode in response to the distance being less than a preset distance threshold.

13. An operation control device for an automatic lawn mower as claimed in claim 10, wherein,

The determination unit is further configured to detect the relative speed between the living body and the automatic lawn mower; and

The switching unit is further configured to switch the normal working mode to an obstacle working mode in response to the relative speed being greater than a preset speed threshold.

14. The operation control device of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 10, wherein, in the obstacle working mode, the automatic lawn mower performs at least one of the following:

changing the working state of the auxiliary cutting unit;

changing the way the robotic lawnmower is moved;

Warning.

15. The operation control method of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 10, wherein,

The detection unit is further configured to detect a specific object in the obstacle working mode;

The determining unit is further configured to determine whether a specific object is detected;

The maintaining unit is further configured to maintain the obstacle working mode based at least on detecting the specific object; and

The switching unit is further configured to restore the normal working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit at least based on not detecting the specific object.

16. The operation control device of an automatic lawn mower according to claim 10, wherein the detection of the specific object is performed by at least one of the following: infrared sensing, image recognition, ultrasonic/radar ranging, and depth imaging.

17. The operation control device for an automatic lawn mower of claim 10, wherein:

The detection unit is further configured to detect the ambient temperature of the automatic lawn mower; and

The holding unit is further configured to allow operation of the auxiliary cutting unit in response to the ambient temperature being within a preset temperature range.

18. The operation control device of claim 10, wherein,

The detection unit is further configured to detect the ambient illuminance of the automatic lawn mower; and

The switching unit is further configured to control the auxiliary cutting unit to enter a normal working mode in response to the ambient illuminance being less than an illuminance threshold.

19. An automatic lawnmower comprising:

case;

main cutting unit;

an auxiliary cutting unit, the cutting range of the auxiliary cutting unit extending at least flush with the housing of the automatic lawn mower; and

The operation control device according to any one of claims 10 to 18, used to control the normal working mode or the obstacle working mode of the auxiliary cutting unit.

20. An electronic device comprising:

memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

A processor for executing the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to perform the operation control method of the automatic lawn mower according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

21. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions, which, when executed by a computing device, are operable to perform the automatic lawn mowing of any one of claims 1 to 9 machine operation control method.